His European run, sponsored by SOS Group Ltd, took Mark 83 days to complete - with many challenges faced along the way including the Pyrenees and Alps mountain ranges.

Beginning in Lisbon, Portugal, Mark ran around 38 miles a day and finished in Belgrade, Serbia, on Friday July 22.

The 45-year-old says he is pleased to be back on home soil and is looking forward to seeing his son, Jack, but added that his achievement hasn’t sunk in yet.

Mark said: “I’m not at the point where I can relax properly yet.

'Run Geordie Run' Mark Allison arrives back at the Port of Tyne Ferry Terminal in North Shields after running across Europe

“It’s hard to explain how strange it feels when I wake up each morning. For weeks and weeks, all I’ve known is eat, sleep, run, so I’m having to adjust to the ‘real world’ again.

“No doubt things will begin to feel more normal when I get home. I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed and have a shower that works. Some home comforts will be very welcome.”

He added that he had lost four-and-a-half stones during the physical feat and was looking forward to watching Newcastle United matches with his son.

The running challenge was the latest leg in Mark’s Run Geordie Run Around the World challenge, which has raised over £250,000 for charities to date.

The father-of-one was spurred on to began the inspiring World Run following his parents’ deaths from cancer, and started off in 2007 by running the length of the UK.

He has now run halfway around the world, 9,000 miles, including the UK, the width of the USA, Australia and Europe.

'Run Geordie Run' Mark Allison arrives back at the Port of Tyne Ferry Terminal in North Shields after running across Europe

The European leg took him through Portugal, Spain, Andorra, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia.

The end was originally Istanbul but following the Istanbul Atatürk Airport assault that left 45 people dead, Mark agreed to change the route at the last minute and finish a week early, avoiding Turkey and instead finishing in Belgrade.

Ending in Belgrade now gives Mark the option to run north or south of the Black Sea when he starts the next stage of his Around the World Run, hopefully in 2018, which will go through Georgia, Russia and Kazakhstan.

Mark added: “The welcome and support we got in Belgrade was just amazing.

“There was a finish line of children who are being helped by a local charity and then the British Ambassador to Serbia let me have a bath at the Embassy. And I’ll be the first to admit I really needed to bathe.

“We met some amazing people on our travels and I’ll have plenty of stories to share at our charity ball in October.”

'Run Geordie Run' Mark Allison arrives back at the Port of Tyne Ferry Terminal in North Shields after running across Europe

Mark and his team were greeted at Port of the Tyne by family, friends and Sir Bobby Robson’s widow Lady Elsie and their son Andrew Robson.

On behalf of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Lady Elsie said: “I hope Mark is very proud of what he’s achieved with this run. He really should be.

“We’re all very proud of him. It’s an absolutely marvellous achievement.”

Jonathan Clegg, from The Children’s Foundation, added: “We’re all so proud of Run Geordie Run completing his latest challenge and it’s an honour to have him as our ambassador.